Van Zandt Grills Primal Scream

E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt has long been a champion of great rock n’ roll wherever it comes from. His syndicated radio show Underground Garage is one of the most influential vehicles for exposing both classic and new underground  (and sometimes mainstream) rock.

When Steve gets behind a band he gives it his full support but he doesn’t hold back when he feels that there’s something that needs to be said.

Van Zandt was speaking at the SXSW music convention in Austin , TX last week  on  the topic of bands from the U.K. and the difficulties they have breaking in the U.S. these days.

Van Zandt revealed that UK band  Primal Scream refused an offer to tour with Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band on an upcoming tour consisting of 20 shows.

Van Zandt is a fan of Primal Scream’s calling one of their albums “one of the greatest records in ten years”. It was an opportunity which Van Zandt clearly regarded as an entrée into the U.S. market, saying that they “could be the biggest band in the world.”

He stated that he had tried to get Primal Scream to come over to the U.S. several times, unsuccessfully, which he apparently felt was a result of lead singer Bobby Gillespie’s alleged drug use issues.